Industrial Metals Update Nickel unlikely to hold on to price gains Tighter supply and strong demand have led to a rapid drawdown of nickel exchange stocks and given a lift to prices. But with supply starting to pick up and more subdued demand growth, we expect the... 31st May 2018 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Rally in US steel prices to prove self-defeating President Trump’s decision to impose a 25% tariff on US steel imports has sent the price of US hot-rolled coiled steel skyrocketing. But how sustainable is the rally in prices? In this Metals Watch we... 31st May 2018 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Steel Production (Apr.) World Steel Association (WSA) data showed a 4.1% y/y increase in global steel production in April, driven by higher output in China, India, the EU and the US. We expect this trend to continue over the... 25th May 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Investors become less positive on metals Investor sentiment in the metals markets has deteriorated since the start of 2018, although more so for precious metals than industrial. Some of the technical indicators that we monitor have recently... 25th May 2018 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Aluminium Production (Apr.) Global aluminium output fell slightly in April. This was largely the result of lower production in North America, where temporary disruptions weighed on supply, and Western Europe. We expect growth in... 21st May 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Stocks fall but demand remains subdued Total exchange stocks of most industrial metals have fallen over the past month but cancelled warrants have in most cases also declined, which points to lacklustre demand. Aluminium and tin were the... 14th May 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Have zinc prices further to fall? After two years of sizeable deficits, there are signs that the tightness in the zinc market is easing, which explains why prices have fallen sharply since the start of the year. We think that prices... 10th May 2018 · 1 min read
Metals Chart Pack A month of two halves for metals April was a month of two halves for most metals. The imposition of US sanctions on Russia sent the prices of several industrial and precious metals – notably aluminium, nickel and palladium – surging... 2nd May 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Chart Pack Geopolitics trump fundamentals Commodity price indices surged in April despite a jump in the US dollar. Fading fears of a global trade war gave a lift to riskier assets more generally, while escalating tensions in the Middle East... 1st May 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Watch Three key risks to commodity prices In this Commodities Watch, we take stock of three of the most serious geopolitical risks that have emerged over the past few months. These are the prospect of a trade war between the US and China, US... 30th April 2018 · 1 min read
Metals Watch Safe-haven demand gives a boost to gold prices Despite the prospect of tighter monetary policy in the US, the price of gold has proved particularly resilient so far this year. We think that strong safe-haven demand on the back of heightened... 30th April 2018 · 1 min read
Commodities Weekly Quiet after the storm The earlier surge in oil and industrial metals prices came to an abrupt halt this week as oil stabilised and there were sharp falls in the prices of some metals. In particular, the US Treasury’s... 27th April 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update China Industrial Metals Demand & Supply Monitor (Q1) China’s industrial activity held up well in the first quarter of 2018, but year-on-year growth in some of the more metal-intensive sectors slowed from the previous quarter. Moreover, we expect the... 26th April 2018 · 1 min read
Metals Data Response Global Steel Production (Mar.) World Steel Association (WSA) data showed a 4.0% y/y increase in global steel production in March, driven by higher output in China, India and the US. We expect this trend to continue over the coming... 25th April 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Aluminium price has further to fall The US Treasury’s decision to soften its position on sanctions against Russian aluminium producer, Rusal, has sent the price of aluminium tumbling in the past couple of days. We think that prices will... 25th April 2018 · 1 min read
Industrial Metals Update Tin to tread water Growth in tin demand is expected to slow this year, but remain slightly stronger than the historical trend. However, constrained supply should support prices, which we expect to be relatively flat... 23rd April 2018 · 1 min read